TOWARD A PROGRESSIVE PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY
by Larry Reyka, Administrator
The Humanist Special Interest Group
What is it that progressive social action groups have in common
with one another? I believe it to be an underlying approach to
life that does not differ significantly from that advanced by the
Humanist societies.
Regardless of what lip-service is paid to gods and religions,
progressive social action groups -- like a great majority of
individuals -- make their choices not on the dictates of ancient
scriptures, but on the basis of human experience and our ability
to reasonably foresee outcomes and to assess the desirability of
those outcomes.
The mere fact that these groups operate on the presumption that
group or collective effort is more effective than prayer or merely
waiting the arrival or return of a messiah-figure, in my opinion,
makes these groups humanistic.
Humanism offers an integrated philosophy which underlies the
concerns of human rights, peace and justice, environmental, and
other progressive groups spanning the gamut from NARAL and SANE to
Greenpeace and Stonewall Union.
How is this so? Let's examine a short list of well known American
Humanists and see who we find. There is the founder of the
Pullman Porter's Union, A. Phillip Randolph; reproductive rights
activist Margaret Sanger; Gray Panthers founder Maggie Kuhn; and
feminists from Betty Friedan to Gloria Steinem.
The following excerpts from Humanist Manifesto II help illustrate
the progressive philosophy advocated by Humanist societies:
We affirm that moral values derive their source from
human experience . . . Ethics stems from human need and
interest . . . Human life has meaning because we create
and develop our futures.
. . . critical intelligence, infused by a sense of human
caring, is the best method that humanity has for
resolving problems. Reason should be balanced with
compassion and empathy . . .
The preciousness and dignity of the individual is a
central humanist value . . . We believe in maximum
individual autonomy consonant with social
responsibility.
We deplore the division of humankind on nationalistic
grounds . . . For the first time in human history, no
part of humankind can be isolated from any other. Each
person's future is in some way linked to all. We thus
reaffirm a commitment to the building of world
community, at the same time recognizing that this
commits us to some hard choices.
I invite any of you for whom the above strikes a responsive chord,
whether in heart or mind, to give closer consideration to
exploring the Humanist alternative!
For further information, please contact --
The Humanist Special Interest Group
PO Box 14123
Columbus, OH 43214-0123